National fighter jet performs first flight at Teknofest-2021 in Turkey

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan’s MIG-29 fighter jet has performed its first flight during the Teknofest-2021 air show festival held in Turkey’s Ataturk International Airport, the Defence Ministry reported on September 21.

The complex aerobatic manoeuvres professionally performed by Azerbaijani military pilots were greeted with great interest by the viewers, the report added.

Under the Teknofest-2021 air show festival, Azerbaijan’s two MIG-20 fighter jets will perform demonstration flights as part of the event to last until September 26.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani and Turkish Air Forces held the TurAz Falcon - 2021 joint flight and tactical drills on September 1-17.

The exercises were aimed at improving interaction and communication in joint operations between the fighter jets of the two countries, which have different characteristics.

Military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey first emerged in 1992, with an agreement signed between the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments on military education and weapon equipment and deals to help strengthen the bond between the two nations.

On June 15, the two countries signed a memorandum of alliance that cemented the existing military, political and economic cooperation.

The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations that President Ilham Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed during the first official visit to Shusha eight months after Azerbaijan’s victory in the war with Armenia, also focuses on defence cooperation.

It affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats. The declaration also pledges joint efforts for the restructuring and modernization of the armed forces. Moreover, the two nations affirm to encourage the execution of joint projects with the aim of developing capabilities in the field of sea, air, and space.